Review | 'School of Rock: The Musical' at the New London Theatre

I can only imagine that someone must have been high when they were putting together School Of Rock as a stage musical. Composer? Let’s get Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose first big success was rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar but who has since specialised in Phantom operatics and Sunset Boulevard balladry. Writer? Obviously it has to be Julian Fellowes, whose Downton Abbey is as far from the American school system as it’s possible to get.

This terribly posh, terribly British duo were not the best choice if they were aiming for the wisecracking, distinctly American tone of the original film . A couple of songs aside (You’re In The Band, Stick It To The Man), the score is unmemorable faux rock that isn’t helped any by the poor acoustics in the New London Theatre and yes, the kids play their own instruments but they get an awful lot of help from the band tucked away in a corner. And Fellowes, having spent too much time in Pre-war Britain, has no ear for the way American youngsters talk, exacerbated by some very English references (PPI, Nando’s) that have been cheaply thrown in for the London production to make the dialogue more ‘relatable’.

So what turns a two-star score and a one-star script into a three-star show? Well, the basic concept of the Jack Black movie – a slacker named Dewey lies his way into a substitute teacher job because he needs the money and ends up turning the pupils into a rock band – has a through-the-roof feel-good quality and David Fynn gives the lead role his all. It is entirely a Jack Black impression, granted, but a really good one, right down to the beer gut and sarcastic sneer that we all know and love.

And then there’s the kids – an ensemble that is different on different nights and all of whom have talent to spare. They’re the ace up the show’s sleeve because who can resist seeing these wallflowers and misfits finding themselves through music? The School Of Rock message is that parents and adults should listen to their kids. By the end of the show, we’re not only listening, we’re cheering them on.

Rating: 3/5

School of Rock: The Musical is at the New London Theatre, 0844 811 0052, schoolofrockthemusical.co.uk.

For the best deals on tickets and shows, visit tickets.attitude.co.uk.

Words: Simon Button

Review | ‘School of Rock: The Musical’ at the New London Theatre

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